Friends of Rotary Club Islamabad Sarrinah (RCI Sarrinah) and local leaders from various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab vowed to eradicate polio and pledged to make every possible effort, within available resources, to provide comprehensive support to polio victims in the country.
A one-day seminar titled “Charter Presentation Ceremony” was held at a local hotel in Islamabad. It was jointly organised by Rotary Club Islamabad and Rotary Club of Lahore Model Town.
The seminar aimed to highlight the urgent need for greater focus and commitment to eradicating polio, a crippling childhood disease, in Pakistan.
Diplomats, senior politicians, philanthropists, armed forces officers, bureaucrats, representatives of donor agencies, and other senior officials attended the ceremony organised by Rotary Club Islamabad Sarrinah.
Addressing the participants, Mir Arif Ali, Governor’s Special Representative for RCI Sarrinah, said that although considerable progress had been made towards eliminating the crippling childhood disease, tireless efforts were still required to rid Pakistan of the threat of polio.
Mir Arif said that RCI had left no stone unturned in its fight against the disease and would continue its efforts within the limits of its available resources.
He further said that influential members of society and the corporate sector had supported the Rotary Club in this worthy cause by contributing to its efforts and helping devise future strategies for polio eradication in Pakistan.
He added that they had also helped provide artificial limbs to polio survivors. He said that RCI also aimed to establish skills development centres to improve the employability of adults.
Friends of RCI called for concerted efforts to eradicate polio throughout the former tribal belt and the country as a whole.
At the end of the programme, the Governor’s Special Representative for RCI distributed certificates among Rotary Club members and friends.